Public Comment

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) , which is the official source of data on employment, the economy is improving. According to the BLS the number of unemployed continues to fall. In fact, according to the agency it was the 6th consecutive month of improvement. The official unemployment rate last month fell from 7.9 percent to 6.9 percent. A drop in the rate by a full one percent is considerable.  

Unfortunately, however, that good news reminds us of President Herbert Hoover, who prior to the great 1930s depression, boasted that “prosperity is just around the corner”,  

But jobs were not around the corner then and jobs are not around the corner now. Aside from the bogus way that BLS counts employment ------ discouraged workers who have given up the futile search for jobs are not counted as unemployed -- there has been a tremendous increase in long term unemployment. In fact, a growing number of workers are out of work for at least six months. These jobless workers make up one third of the unemployed. Moreover, the BLS does not count seven million workers as unemployed even though they report that they want a job. 

Yet incredibly, President Trump, boasting of his accomplishments, claimed at an international forum (The World Economic Forum) that the United States was “in the midst of an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen before”. 

But here is the reality. Although it was boasted that that many new jobs have become available, the number of unemployed workers exceeds job openings by a 2-to 1 margin. Actually, job growth has slowed considerably since seven months ago. But long term unemployment is growing rapidly. The number of long term unemployed has just jumped in just one month from 1.2 million to 3.6 million, which is three times as many. 

The consequences are extremely serious. These workers have exhausted their 26 week maximum. And most have very little if any savings. In fact, almost 70 percent of American families have less than $1,000 stashed away, and 45 Percent have nothing saved. 

Currently there is a national ban on evictions. However, the ban ends on December 31. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, as many as 19 million people are at risk of being evicted. 

It is imperative that the current anti-eviction law be renewed and that some of the loopholes, which judges have used on behalf of landlords, be eliminated. And legally as well as morally speaking enough healthy food for all members of the family must be available.